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In their surprise Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Pep Guardiola accused his much-changed Manchester City team of “playing safe.”

The German side won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after the City manager made ten changes to his starting lineup.

Following last week’s Premier League defeat at Newcastle, Guardiola felt his players were too cautious.

He said, “We didn’t try,” in reference to the Leverkusen defeat. We didn’t try in football because you have to try things when you play on the green.

He continued, “I believe they played not to make mistakes, not to play to accomplish something because it’s so challenging. They played in a safe environment, so you have to play offensive and try.

Guardiola’s team faces struggling Leeds on Saturday, suggesting that the Leverkusen debutants had lost their self-assurance.

He said, “I have a lot of confidence in them, but I still have a lot right now.” “I value what they do as football players a lot more than what they do themselves,” he said.

Rodri is still out for the Leeds game, but Guardiola has confirmed that the Spanish international will be back soon.

In the Premier League, Guardiola’s men are currently third, seven points clear of Arsenal.

As his team prepares for Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claims second-placed Chelsea “fully deserve” to be regarded as Premier League title contenders.

After 12 games this year, Arteta’s men are six points clear of second-placed Blues.

After winning 4-1 against arch-rivals Tottenham and 3-1 defeating German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the pair are now in good spirits.

Following three straight victories in the league and a thumping 3-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday, Chelsea’s tails are also up.

Chelsea’s youngster, under the leadership of Enzo Maresca, are still viewed as outsiders who want to win the Premier League.

Arteta, who won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup last year, does not, however, undervalue his opponents.

He told reporters on Friday, “I believe we are all there, and they (Chelsea) are there because they fully deserve to be.”

“What they have done over the past few years, I believe, is very, very positive and they deserve to be there,” he said. “The squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have, make sense.”

The former midfielder from Spain and Arsenal said he found watching Chelsea to be one of his favorite teams.

They are very clear about their goals, he said, and that is why they are very tough because of that. They have a lot of fluidity, a lot of threat, a lot of individual talent, and a lot of individual talent.

“It’s a big game, a big London derby, obviously.” We’re going to face a formidable adversary. We are fully prepared for it because they are in excellent form, and we are aware of the challenge and opportunity we have on Sunday.

Manager Ruben Amorim stated on Friday that Matheus Cunha will remain sidelined as Manchester United attempts to recover from a “really tough” week.

United ended a five-game unbeaten run that had raised the spirits at Old Trafford on Monday when they fell to 10-man Everton at home.

Cunha’s injury forced the Brazil forward to miss out on the team, which added to Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury and made him unavailable.

Both players will miss Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, where Maguire, a veteran defender, will once more miss out.

According to United boss Amorim, “Sesko will take a little longer.” The same Harry. I’m not anticipating Matheus in this one, but the next one (on Thursday against West Ham). ”

United, who have lost their previous four Premier League games against Palace, have dealt a major blow with the absence of Cunha and Sesko.

After Idrissa Gana Gueye slapped teammate Michael Keane at home on Monday, Amorim’s side needs to get in the mood.

Amorim said, “The week was really tough, as it should be.” The process needs to continue, and we must move on to the next game, despite the difficult result and defeat.

Everything can change very quickly, especially in our league this year, so let’s go again and concentrate on the coming one. ”

United are aiming for their second straight home victory against a Palace side that has lost all 12 of their Premier League matches.

In both of their matches earlier this month, Amorim’s men blew leads over Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, drawing 2-2.

The Portuguese, who are 10th in the Premier League, said, “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing why we are not winning away.”

There are numerous issues. We are getting better, but we need to know how to win the games. ”